OPINION | The State of the Nation Address That Never Was!

The hype was real. The Press—and the President’s own office—had raised expectations sky-high for the latest State of the Nation Address (SONA). But when it finally landed… well, let’s just say it did not deliver. At least, not in my view.

First, the speechwriter clearly has some homework to do. Compared to the inauguration address, this SONA lacked clarity and punch. Broad principles were announced but barely backed up. We were promised a discussion on macroeconomic issues, yet the three points highlighted had almost nothing to do with the economy at large. It’s like being served an appetizer and finding out the main course is missing.

Second, I had hoped this SONA would break the monotony that has come to define these speeches. For context, here’s how SONAs are usually cooked up: every department and parastatal submits a list of what they plan to do to the Office of the President. Those replies are stitched together, polished, and presented as if the President himself conceived them. The problem? Most of the time, these ideas fail—and the President gets the blame. This process often clashes with actual policy promises, especially those in party manifestos, and leaves no room for the President to articulate his own electoral mandate. The result: routine, predictable, uninspiring speeches that any civil servant could have drafted.

Third, policies without action are hollow. Actions without policies are worse—they’re chaotic. This SONA falls squarely in the latter category. It reads like a checklist of what was done, not a roadmap of where the nation is headed.

Fourth, and most tellingly, this SONA exposes a fundamental flaw in governance: the failure to implement decentralisation. The Constitution is crystal clear: “there shall be local government,” not “there may be local government.” Yet the President and his administration continue to meddle in areas that are legally the domain of local authorities. Constituency funds? Misguided. Central government construction projects in local markets? Unnecessary. Legislators legislate; local governments govern. Anything less is a constitutional and practical failure.

In short, this SONA was less a statement of national vision and more a symptom of systemic inertia. If we are to have SONAs that matter, the process must change, decentralisation must be respected, and the President must lead with ideas, not just rubber-stamped actions.